The geomorphic and stratigraphic variety within and among modern and ancient aeolian (wind blown) dune fields is an immense topic of research. Aeolian deposits form important petroleum reservoirs; examples include the large gas-bearing sandstones of the Permian Rotliengendes Formation beneath the North Sea, the Pennsylvanian-Permian Weber and Jurassic Nugget oil reservoirs of the overthrust belts of Colorado and Wyoming, respectively, and the oil-bearing Minnelusa Formation (Permian) reservoirs located in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming.

Internal structures of aeolian dunes are often inferred from shallow trenches, natural scours, outcrops, core samples, and models based on dune geometry and sedimentary processes....